The two have been talking, though I hear a potential partnership is still in its embryonic stages. Pizzolatto is a big fan of Milch and, like so many younger writers, he was influenced by the work of the NYPD Blue co-creator. The nature of their collaboration still is being worked out, with Milch working in a consulting capacity considered likely. HBO is yet to officially order more True Detective, and I hear there are no finished scripts, just a very early draft. HBO had no comment.

A third season of True Detective had been gestating for two years now. In January, HBO president of programming Casey Bloys indicated that he was “hopeful” about a third installment because Pizzolatto was “closing in on an idea that he was excited about.”

The first season of True Detective was very well received, landing a slew of awards wins and nominations, triggering a swift renewal and a quick-turnaround second installment, which drew mixed reaction from critics and fans.

Milch, whose potential involvement in True Detective was first reported by EW, had been under overall deals at HBO for a decade or so, creating series Deadwood, John From Cincinnati and Luck. He recently had been working on another long-gestating project at the network, a Deadwood movie, but as of January, there had been no movement on that, with no script yet.

In addition to True Detective Season 3, under his overall deal at HBO, Pizzolatto is working on a Perry Mason series to star Robert Downey Jr., which still is slowly moving through the development process.